Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an

Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an

21. Surah Al Anbiyaa (The Prophets)

Name

The name of this Surah has not been taken from any verse but it has been called Al-Anbiyaa
because it contains a continuous account of many Anbiyaa (Prophets). Nevertheless, it is a
symbolic name and not a title.

Period of Revelation

Both the subject matter and the style of the Surah indicate that it was sent down in the third stage
of the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah.(Sea Introduction to Chapter VI).

Subject and Topics

This Surah discusses the conflict between the Holy Prophet and the chiefs of Makkah, which was
rampant at the time of its Revelation and answers those objections and doubts which were being
put forward concerning his Prophethood and the Doctrines of Tauhid and the Hereafter. The chiefs
of Makkah have also been rebuked for their machinations against the Holy Prophet and warned
of the evil consequences of their wicked activities. They have been admonished to give up their
indifference and heedlessness that they were showing about the Message. At the end of the
Surah, they have been told that the person whom they considered to be a "distress and affliction"
had in reality come to them as a blessing.

Main Themes

In vv. 1-47, the following themes have been discussed in particular :

1. The objection of the disbelievers that a human being could not be a Messenger and
therefore they could not accept Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a Prophet, has been
refuted.

2. They have been taken to task for raising multifarious and contradictory objections against
the Holy Prophet and the Qur'an.

3. Their wrong conception of life has been proved to be false because it was responsible for
their indifferent and heedless attitude towards the Message of the Holy Prophet. They
believed that life was merely a sport and pastime and had no purpose behind or before it
and there was no accountability or reward or punishment.

4. The main cause of the conflict between the disbelievers and the Holy Prophet was their
insistence on the doctrine of shirk and antagonism to the Doctrine of Tauhid. So the

doctrine of skirk has been refuted and the Doctrine of Tauhid reinforced by weighty and
impressive though brief arguments.

5. Arguments and admonitions have been used to remove another misunderstanding of
theirs. They presumed that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a false prophet and his
warnings of a scourge from God were empty threats, just because no scourge was visiting
them in spite of their persistent rejection of the Prophet.

In vv. 48-91 , instances have been cited from the important events of the life stories of the Prophets
to show that all the Prophets, who were sent by God, were human beings and had all the
characteristics of a man except those which were exclusive to Prophethood. They had no share
in Godhead and they had to implore Allah to fulfill each and every necessity of theirs.

Along with these two other things have also been mentioned:

1. All the Prophets had to pass through distress and affliction; their opponents did their worst
to thwart their mission, but in spite of it they came out successful by the extraordinary
succor from Allah.

2. All the Prophets had one and the same "way of life', the same as was being presented by
Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him), and that was the only Right Way of Life and all
other ways invented and introduced by mischievous people were utterly wrong.

In vv. 92-106, it has been declared that only those who follow the Right Way, will come out
successful in the final judgment of God and those who discard it shall meet with the worst
consequences.

In vv. 107-112, the people have been told that it is a great favor of Allah that He has sent His
Messenger to inform them beforehand of this Reality and that those, who consider his coming to
be an affliction instead of a blessing, are foolish people.

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

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[1 -3] The time of the reckoning of the people has drawn near,? and yet they are turning away (from
the Admonition) in heedlessness.? They give a mere formal hearing to every new Revelations that
comes to them from their Lord and remain engaged in the game (of life) for their hearts are
preoccupied (with other matters.) 1

And the unjust people whisper to one another, saying, "This man is no more than a human being
like yourselves. What! Will you, then, be enticed by his sorcery while you perceive it?"®

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[4] To this the Prophet replied, "My Lord has the knowledge of everything that is said in the
heavens and the earth for He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing."?

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[5-6] Then, they say, "It is a bundle of incoherent dreams: nay, he himself has invented it: nay, he
is a poet;? if not, let him bring a sign like the signs with which the former Prophets were sent." The
fact, however, is that no habitation, which We destroyed before them, believed (in spite of signs);
now, will they, then, believe??

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[7-9] And, 0 Muhammad, We sent before you also human beings as Messengers, to whom We
revealed (Our Message)^ If you (O objectors,) have no knowledge of this, you may ask the people
of the Book ^ We did not give them such bodies as could survive without food nor were they
immortal. Then We fulfilled Our promises with them and ultimately delivered them and
whomsoever We willed, and destroyed the transgressors.

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[10] O people, We have sent down to you a Book, which deals with matters concerning
yourselves. What, do you not understand this?^

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[11-15] Many a habitation of wicked people is there, which We crushed to piece, and after them
raised up another people. When they perceived Our Scourge^they began to flee the place. (Then
it was said to them:) "Do not run away: go back to the same life of luxury and the houses where
you were making merry: perhaps you may be asked about it.''^ They cried out, "Woe be to us:
indeed we were wrong-doers." They went on crying out this very thing till We threshed them,
leaving no spark of life in them.

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[16-18] We have not created for a pastime the heavens and the earth and whatever is between
them.^ Had We meant to make it a plaything and nothing more than this, We would have done it
by Ourself.^ But We give falsehood a hard blow with the Truth, which breaks its head and
falsehood vanishes away in no time; and there is woe for you because of the falsehoods you
invent.^

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[19-20] All that exists in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah:^ and (the angels) who are
near Hirrus disdain not to serve Him, nor do they feel wearied:^ they glorify Him night and day
without taking rest.

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[21] Have the earthly deities they have set up the power to give life and raise the (inanimate)
things?^

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[22-23] Had there been other deities besides Allah in the heavens and the earth, both (the
heavens and the earth) would have gone out of orders So, absolutely free is Allah, Lord of the
Throne, s from the false things they ascribe to Him. He is accountable to none for what He does,
but all others are accountable (to Him).

[24-25] Have they discarded Him and set up other deities? Say to them, O Muhammad, "Bring
your authority; here is this Book, which contains Admonition for the people of my time, and there
are also those Books which contained Admonition for the former people."^ But most of these
people have no knowledge of the Reality; therefore they have turned away from it .25 The fact is
that to every Messenger whom We sent down before you, We revealed this same thing: "There
is no other deity than Me: so worship Me alone."

( 7 )

[26-29] They say, "The Merciful has offspring. Glory be to Allah Ithey are His mere servants who
have been honored: they do not exceed the limits in their talk before Him and just do His bidding.
He knows whatever is before them and also whatever is hidden from them; they "do not intercede
for anyone except for the one for whom Allah pleases to hear a plea, and they live in awe of Hims
And if anyone of them were to say, "I am also a deity besides Allah", We would send him to Hell,
for this is the recompense from Us for such workers of iniquity.

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[30-33] Have not the people, who have disbelieved (the Message), ever considered this: the
heavens and the earth were at first one mass; then We parted them,^ and created every living
thing from water?^ Do they not acknowledge (that this is Our Creation)? And We set mountains
firmly in the earth lest it should tilt to one side along with them,;® and We left therein open paths^
so that they may find their way.^ And We made the sky a safe canopy, » but in spite of this they
do not pay due heed to its signs.^ And it is Allah, Who has made the night and the day and created
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[34-35] And, ae O Muhammad, no man have We made immortal before you; then, if you die, will
they live on for ever? Every living being has to taste deaths and We are putting all of you to trial
by passing you through good and bad conditions® and ultimately you shall return to Us.

[36] When these disbelievers see you, they scoff at you: they say, "What! Is this the man who
speaks slightingly of your deities?"® But as for them they discard with disdain the mention of the
Merciful.®

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[37-41] Man is a creature of haste (and impatience). ^ Well, you need not be impatient: I will show
you My signs before long.^ They ask, "Anyhow, when will this threat be made good, if you speak
the truth?" Would that the disbelievers knew something about the time, when they shall neither
be able to protect their faces from the Fire nor their backs, nor will they get any succor from
anywhere! For that catastrophe will occur all of a sudden and will overpower them so abruptly that
they shall neither be able to ward it off nor shall they get any respite. As for their scoff, the
Messengers before you also have been scoffed at, but the scoffers were encircled by that very
doom at which they used to scoff.

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[42-46] O Muhammad, ask them, "Who is there to protect you from the Merciful in the night or in
the day?"s (None!) Yet they are paying no heed to the Admonition of their Lord. Do they have
gods who can defend them against Us? (No) for they can neither help themselves nor are they
helped by Us. The fact is that We provided them and their forefathers with provisions of life until
the period grew too long for them.s But can they not see that We are coming in the land, shrinking
its boundaries for them on all sides?s Do they, then, expect to come out victorious (over Us)?s
Say to them, "I am warning you on the authority of . Revelation" But the deaf do not hear the call
when they are warned. However, even if the slightest torment of your Lord touched then'll they
would forthwith cry out, "Woe to us ! no doubt we were wrong-doers."

[47] On the Day of Resurrection, We will set up just and accurate balances so that no one will be
wronged in the least in anyway; even if it be an act equal in weight to a grain of mustard seed,
We will bring it forth (to be weighed) and We suffice for reckonings

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[48-50] Before^ this We bestowed on Moses and Aaron the Criterion and Light and "Admonition''^
for the betterment of those righteous^ people, who fear their Lord though they have not seen Him,
and dread the Hours^ (of Reckoning). And now We have sent down this blessed "Admonition"
(for you). Do you, then, reject this?

[51 -54] Even before that, We had blessed Abraham with the discretion he displayed, for We knew
him well.®* Recall to mind the occasion^ when he said to his father and his people, "What are these
images to which you are so devoted"? They replied, "We found our forefathers worshiping them".
He said, "You have gone astray and so had your forefathers manifestly deviated from the Right
Way."

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[55-73] They said, "What! Are you presenting your real ideas before us, or are you jesting?"® He
answered, "Nay, in fact your Lord is the same Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and
their Creator! I hear witness to this, and, by God, I will out-wit your idols in your absence."®
Accordingly, he broke them into pieces,® but he left the major one intact so that they might turn to
it.sfi (On their return when they saw the plight of their idols,) they said, "Who has done this to our
gods? Indeed he must be a spiteful person." Some replied, "We heard a young man called
Abraham talking about them". At this, they said, "Then seize him, and bring him here before the
people so that they may witness (how severely he is dealt with)".® (When Abraham came there, )
they asked, "O Abraham, have you done this to our gods?" He answered, "Nay, all this has been
done by their chief; you may ask them, if they can speak"® This turned them to (search) their own
conscience, and they said (to themselves), "Surely you yourselves are in the wrong". But soon
after this their minds became perverse,® and they said, "You know that they cannot speak". At
this Abraham said, "Do you even then discard Allah and worship these things which are unable
to do any good or harm to you? Fie upon you and the deities you worship instead of Allah! What!
have you got no sense at all?" They said, "Burn him alive and avenge your gods, if you want to
take any action". At this, We commanded, O fire! be cool and become safe for Abraham". ®They
intended to do some harm to Abraham, but We frustrated them in their evil design. Then We
brought him and Lot® safely to the land, which We have made blessed for all the people of the
world.® Then We bestowed on him Isaac and added Jacob to him,® and We made each of them
righteous. We appointed them leaders who guided others by Our Command. We also enjoined
them by Revelation to do righteous deeds and establish Salat and pay Zakat dues, and they all
worshiped Us.®

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[74-75] And We bestowed judgment and knowledge® on Lot, and delivered him from that
habitation which committed indecent deeds. Indeed, they were a very wicked, perverse and
disobedient people. And We admitted Lot into Our Mercy: he was, indeed, of the righteous people.

[76-77] And We blessed Noah with the same favor; remember that he had invoked Us® before
those Prophets; We heard his prayer and delivered him and the people of his house from the
great calamity® and helped him against those who had treated Our Revelations as false. They
were indeed a very wicked people, so We drowned them all together.

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[78-79] And We bestowed the same favor upon David and Solomon: Remember the occasion
when the two were judging a case regarding a field into which the goats of other people had
strayed at night, and We Ourself were watching their conduct of the case. At that time We guided
Solomon to the right decision, though We had bestowed wisdom and knowledge upon both of
them.®

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[80-82] We had subdued to David the mountains and the birds which joined with him in Our
praise:^ It was We Who had done all this. And We taught him for your benefit the armorer's craft
so that you might protect yourselves from each other's violence ^ Are you, then, grateful?^ And
We had subdued to Solomon the strongly blowing wind which sped at his bidding to the land
wherein We had placed Our blessings,^ for We had the knowledge of everything. And We had
subjected to him many of the satans who dived into the sea for him, and performed other works
besides this: and We kept watch over all of them.s

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[83-84] And We had given Job® the same (blessing of wisdom and knowledge). Remember when
he invoked his Lord, saying, "I have been afflicted with the disease, and Thou art most Merciful."®
We heard his prayer and relieved him of his affliction® and gave him back not only those of his
family but also as many more with them as a favor from Us so that it may serve as a reminder to
Our worshipers.®

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[85-86] And the same blessing was bestowed upon Ismael and Idris® and Zul-Kifl,® because they
all practiced fortitude. We admitted them to Our mercy because they were of the righteous people.

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[87-88] And We showed a favor to Zun-nun (Jonah)® Remember when he went away in anger®
for he thought that We would not take him to task for this.® But afterwards he invoked Us from the
depths of darkness,® saying, "There is no God but Thou: glory be to Thee: I had indeed committed
a wrong". So We heard his prayer, and delivered him from the affliction: Thus do We deliver the
believers.

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[89-90] And (We showed a favor) to Zacharias, when he invoked his Lord, saying, "O Lord, do not
leave me childless though Thou alone art the best Inheritor". So We heard his prayer, and
bestowed on him Yahya (John) and made his wife fit. (to bear a child) for him.® These people
exerted their utmost in righteous deeds and called upon Us with love and fear and they remained
humble before Us.®

[91 ] And (We blessed) that woman who had kept her chastity.® We breathed into her of Our Spirit®
and made her and her son a Sign to the whole world.®

[92-93] Indeed this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord: so worship Me
alone. But the people (of their own accord) cut asunder their (one) Creed into many religions;®
they have all to return to Us.

[94-103] Then whosoever does good deeds, and he is a believer as well, his work will not be
treated slightingly: We are recording it all. And it is not possible that the habitation We have once
destroyed gets another lease of life® until Gog and Magog are let loose: they will swoop down
from every height, and the time of the fulfillment of the T rue Promise will draw near,® whereupon
the eyes of those who had disbelieved will be struck with amazement: they will say, "Woe to us:
we were heedless of this: nay, we were wrong-doers."® As a matter of fact, you and your deities,
whom you worship beside Allah, are fuel of Hell, wherein you have to enter;® had they really been
God, they would not have gone there; now therein they will dwell for ever. There they will groan,®
but they shall hear nothing (in response due to the roaring noise). As for those for whom We will
already have ordained good (rewards), they will be kept far away from it® they will not hear even
its faintest sound and they shall dwell for ever in the midst of those things which they will desire
and cherish most; the time of the great fright will not trouble them at all;® the angels will rush forth
to receive them, saying: "This is the very Day which you were promised!"

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[104-106] On that Day, We will roll up the sky as the leaves of paper are rolled up in a written
scroll. We will bang forth the creation once again as We had originated it before. This is a promise
We have made to Ourself, and We have to fulfill it. And We have written in the Psalms after the
Admonition: "Our righteous servants shall inherit the land." Surely in this is a great news for those
people who worship Us.®

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[107-111] O Muhammad! We have sent you to be a real blessing for the people of the world. i®
Say to them, "That which is revealed to me is this: Your Deity is One Deity only. Will you, then,
surrender to Him?" If even then, they turn away from it, tell them plainly, "I have warned you
openly; now I do not know whether that thing with which you are being threatened®! is near at
hand or far off. You should, however, note it well that) Allah has the knowledge of what is uttered
aloud and also of what you talk about secretly.!® I think that this (delay) may be a trial for you,i®
and you are being given respite to enjoy yourselves for an appointed term."

[112] (At long last) the Messenger said, "O my Lord, pass Thy Judgment with the truth. And, O

people, we trust in our Lord, the Merciful, to help us against the things you say."

l"The time....near": the time of Resurrection. This is to warn the people that the time of
Resurrection when they will have to appear before their Lord to render their accounts is not
far. This was because the coming of the Holy Prophet was a sign and a clear evidence of the
fact that mankind had entered the last stage of its history. The Holy Prophet himself explained
it by holding out two of his adjoining fingers and said, "I have been sent at a time which joins
to the time of Resurrection just as these two fingers adjoin" . By this he meant to say, "No other
Prophet is coming between me and the Resurrection. Therefore mend your ways now, for after
me no guide is coming with good news and warning."

2That is, "They do not pay heed to any warning nor reflect on their end nor listen to the admonition
of the Messenger."

3"New Revelation": A new Surah of the Qur'an.

4The words of the original Text may also be interpreted as: "They do not take life seriously but
treat it as a sport and a joke".

5This may also be translated as: "What, are you then being ensnared by his magic?"

The disbelievers, who were the chiefs of Makkah, whispered to one another to this effect: "Anyhow
this man cannot be a Prophet because he is a human being like us and eats and drinks and
has wife and children like us. We see nothing unusual about him that might distinguish him
from us and make him worthy of the office of Prophethood. We, however, admit that there is
some magic in his talk and personality. That is why any one who listens to him or goes near
Him is charmed. Therefore, the best thing for you is not to listen to him at all, nor go near him,
for listening to him or going near him will only be involving yourselves intentionally in his snare."

The reason why they accused the Holy Prophet of practicing magic was that even his antagonists
were "charmed" by his personality, when they met him. Muhammad bin Ishaq (d. 152 A.H.)
says, "Once 'Utbah bin Rabi'ah, the father-in-law of Abu Sufyan, said to the chiefs that he
wanted to see Muhammad and give him counsel. They said, 'We have full confidence in you;
you may go and have a talk with him.’ Accordingly, he went to the Holy Prophet and said, 'Dear
nephew, you know that you were held in great honor here before this and you belong to a
noble family. Why have you then brought this affliction to your people? You have caused
discard among them: you consider your people to be fools: you speak ill of their religion and
deities, and you declare their deceased forefathers to be disbelievers. My dear nephew, if your
object is to become a rich man, we can give you so much wealth that you will become the
richest man among us: if you are seeking a high rank, we will make you our chief, even our
king, if you so like. But if you are suffering from a mental illness which makes you see illusions,
we will have you treated by the best physicians.’ He went on talking in this strain and the Holy
Prophet remained silent. When he had a long talk, the Holy Prophet said, 'Abul Walid, have
you had your say or do you want to say anything more?’ He replied that he had said what he
had to say. Then the Holy Prophet said, 'Now listen to me'. And he began to recite Surah Ha
Mim Sajdah (Chapter XLI) after Bismillah and Utbah listened to him as if he had been charmed.
When the Holy Prophet came to v. 38, he fell down in prostration. Then raising his head, he

said, 'O Abul Walid, I have said whatever I had to say, and you have heard it. Now I have
nothing more to say'. After this 'Utbah walked back towards the chiefs who perceived him to
be a changed man, and remarked, 'By God ! his face shows that he is not the same man that
he was when he went from here.’ When he came to them, they asked, 'What has been the
result of your mission'? He answered, 'By God, today I have heard a thing the like of which I
had never heard before. By Allah! It is not poetry nor sorcery nor divination. O people of
Quraish, I advise you to leave him to himself. From what I have heard from him, I conclude
that his Message is going to bring about a great revolution here. If the Arabs overcome him,
you will stand absolved from the charge of murdering your own brother, and if he over-powers
the Arabs, his sovereignty will be your own sovereignty and his honor your own honor.’ The
people answered, 'By God! you, too, O Abul Walid, have been charmed by him 1 . To this he
replied, 'I have expressed my opinion. Now it is for you to accept or reject it’." (Ibn Hisham,
Vol. I, pp. 313-314). Baihaqi, in his narration of the above event, makes this addition: "When
the Holy Prophet recited v. 13: 'If they turn away from your Message, say to them, I have
warned you of the coming of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt that visited the 'Ad and the
Thamud', 'Utbah placed his hand on the mouth of the Holy Prophet, saying, 'For God's sake,
have mercy on your own people'."

In this connection, ibn Ishaq has cited another event. Once a man from the clan of Arash came
to Makkah with some camels and Abu Jahl bought them. When he demanded their price, he
put him off by lame excuses. At last the man came to the Sanctuary of the Ka'bah and began
to bewail publicly the dishonesty of Abu Jahl. The Holy Prophet was also sitting in a corner of
the Sanctuary. The chiefs of the Quraish said to the man, "We cannot help you in any way in
this matter; look, there is a man sitting: go to him and he will get you your money." Accordingly
the Arashi went towards the Holy Prophet and the chiefs began to whisper jokingly, "Today
there will be great fun!" When the man expressed his complaint before the Holy Prophet, he at
once stood up and accompanied him to the house of Abu Jahl, followed by an informer of the
chiefs. The Holy Prophet knocked at Abu Jahl's door, who asked from inside, "Who is there"?
He answered, "Muhammad". Hearing this, he at once came out and the Holy Prophet said to
him, "Pay this man his dues." Accordingly, Abu Jahl went in without uttering a word, brought
the price of the camels and paid the man. At this the informer ran back to the Quraish and told
them the whole story and said, "By God, today I have seen something which I had never seen
before. When Abu Jahl came out, Muhammad asked him to pay the dues, and he obeyed him
as if he were spell bound." (Ibn Hisham, Vol. II, pp. 29-30).

It was this "charm" of the personality, character and words of the Holy Prophet which these people
considered to be the effects of "charm" and warned the people not to go near him for fear of
his "magic."

6This was the answer of the Prophet to their false propaganda and whispering campaign. Instead
of giving a 'tit for tat’ answer, he said, "My Lord will deal with you for He hears everything and
knows everything."

7The background of this verse is this: "When the message of the Holy Prophet started gaining
adherents, the chiefs of Makkah decided among themselves to start a propaganda campaign
to counteract it. For this purpose they decided that every visitor to Makkah for pilgrimage
should be approached and his mind so poisoned against the Holy Prophet that he dees not
even go near and listen to him. Though this campaign continued throughout the year, in the

pilgrimage season specially a large number of men were deputed to go to the tents of the
pilgrims to warn them to beware of the Holy Prophet. Different sorts of things were said against
the Holy Prophet during these talks. Sometimes it was said that he was a sorcerer, or that he
had fabricated the Qur'an himself but attributed it to Allah. Some would say that his
'Revelations' were the words of an insane person and a bundle of incoherent ideas. Others
would say that these were ordinary poetic ideas which were being dubbed as the words of
Allah. All they wanted to do was to poison the minds of the visitors irrespective of the
correctness of their own versions. They had no considered and definite opinion in the matter.

This false propaganda, however, had just the opposite effect. The name of the Holy Prophet
became known throughout the length and breadth of the country through the nefarious
activities of the chiefs of Makkah. A positive kind of approach from the Muslims would not have
achieved the same publicity in years as was achieved so rapidly through this negative
campaign of the Quraish. It set everybody thinking: "After all, who is this man against whom
such a campaign of vilification has been started?" The serious type among them rather came
to the conclusion that they must hear the Holy Prophet himself and said to themselves: "After
all we are not children who can be easily enticed away".

For instance, Ibn Ishaq has related in detail the story of Tufail-bin-'Amr Dausi in his own words: "I
was a poet of the clan of Daus. Once I went to Makkah and was, on my arrival there,
surrounded by some people of the Quraish who told me all sorts of things against the Holy
Prophet. So I grew suspicious and tried to avoid him as far as possible. The very next day,
when I went to visit the Sanctuary, I saw him saying his prayer. By chance, I heard a few
sentences and felt that what he was reciting were excellent words. I said to myself, 'I am a
poet and a sensible young man and no child who cannot discriminate between the right and
the wrong. Why should I not therefore meet him and inquire what he is reciting?’ Accordingly,
1 followed him to his house and said, 'The people had so mch poisoned me against you that I
had actually put cotton into my ears lest I should hear, your voice, but what I have heard today
from you by chance was so appealing that I feel urged to inquire into your Message rather in
detail. At this the Holy Prophet recited a passage of the Qur'an, as a result of which I embraced
Islam there and then. On my return home I induced my father and wife to become Muslims,
which they did, and then invited the people of my clan to embrace Islam with the result that till
the Battle of the Trench as many as eighty families from my clan had entered the fold of Islam."
(Ibn Hisham, Vol. II, pp. 22-24).

According to another tradition cited by Ibn Ishaq, the chiefs of the Quraish confessed in their
private meetings that all their charges against the Holy Prophet were false. According to him,
addressing a meeting, Nadr bin Harith once said, "You cannot overcome Muhammad by the
methods you are adopting against him. When he was a young man you regarded him as your
best-mannered person and looked upon him as your most truthful and honest man. Now that
he has attained advanced age, you say, He is a sorcerer: he is a sooth-sayer: he is a poet: he
is insane.' By God, he is not a sorcerer, for we very well know what kind of people the sorcerers
are and what kind of tricks they resort to. By God, he is not a soothsayer, for we are fully aware
of the guess-works of the sooth-sayers. By God, he is not a poet for we know what poetry is
and can judge that his words cannot be classified under poetry in any sense. By God, he is not
insane, for we all know what nonsensical things the insane people utter. Therefore, O chiefs
of the Quraish, let us think of some other plan to defeat him". After this, he himself proposed
that stories from Persia like dose of Rustam and Asfandyar should be given publicity to divert

the people's attention from the Qur'an. Accordingly, they put this scheme into practice and
Nadr himself began to relate such stories before the people. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, pp. 320-321).

8This contains a concise answer to the demand for a sign to the effect

(1) You ask for Signs like the ones which were shown by the former Messengers but you forget
that those obdurate people did not believe in spite of the Signs shown to them.

(2) While demanding a Sign, you fail to realize that the people, who disbelieved even after seeing
a Sign, were inevitably destroyed.

(3) It is indeed a favor of Allah that He is not showing the Sign as demanded by you. Therefore,
the best course for you would be to believe without seeing a Sign. Otherwise, you will meet
the same doom that the former communities met, when they did not believe even after seeing
the Signs.

9This is the answer to their objection: "This man is no more than a human being like yourselves",
and therefore, cannot be a Messenger of God. They have been told that the former Prophets,
too, whom you also recognize as Prophets, were human beings and were blessed with
Revelations from Allah.

lOThat is, "You may have it testified by the Jews, who are the enemies of Islam like you, and are
teaching you the ways to oppose it, that all the Messengers including Prophet Moses were
human beings."

1 1 History not only tells us that the former Messengers were human beings but it also contains a
lesson that they all received Allah's succor as promised by Him and their enemies were
completely destroyed. Therefore you should seriously consider the goal for which you are
heading.

12This is a comprehensive answer to the various objections which were being raised in
desperation by the disbelievers of Makkah against the Qur'an and the Holy Prophet, as if to
say:"What is there in this Book that you cannot understand? Why don't you consider it in the
right spirit? There is nothing contradictory in it: it discusses you and your own problems and
affairs of life; it describes your own nature, origin and end; it discriminates between good and
evil and presents high moral qualities which your own consciences endorse and confirm. Why
don't you, then, use your minds to understand this simple and easy thing?"

1 3That is, “When they realized that Allah's scourge was actually coming”

14This is a very meaningful sentence. It may mean:

(1 ) "Examine this scourge minutely so that if someone asks you about it, you may be able to give
an accurate account of it."

(2) "Hold your grand meetings as usual: perhaps your servants may come with folded hands
before you to receive orders."

(3) "Hold your councils as before, perhaps people may still come to ask for your wise counsels."

15This was to refute their entire conception of life which was based on the assumption that man
was free to do whatever he liked, and there was none to call him to account or take him to
task: that there was no life in the Hereafter where one's good deeds would be rewarded and
evil deeds punished. In other words, this meant that the whole universe had been created
without any serious purpose and therefore there was no need to pay any heed to the Message
of the Prophet.

1 6That is, "This world has been created with a definite purpose and not as a plaything; for, if he
had wanted to enjoy a sport, We would have done so without creating a sentient, rational and
responsible creature like you. Far be it from Us to put man to trial and conflict for the sake of
mere fun."

1 7That is, "The object for which this world has been created is to stage a conflict between the
Truth and falsehood. And you yourselves know that in this conflict falsehood has always been
defeated and destroyed: You should, therefore, consider this reality seriously, for, if you build
the system of your life on the false presumption that it is mere fun, you will meet with the same
consequences as the former people did, who presumed that the world was a mere show and
pastime. Therefore you should reconsider your whole attitude towards the Message which has
come to you. Instead of making fun of it and scoffing at the Messenger, you should take a
warning from the fate of the former peoples."

18From here begins the discourse on the confirmation of Tauhid and the refutation of shirk for
these were the actual bases of the conflict between the Holy Prophet and the disbelievers of
Makkah. The line of argument is this: The whole system of the universe is a clear proof that
there is One Allah Who is its Creator, Sovereign, Ruler, and Lord and it is a falsehood that
there are many gods who are partners in His Kingdom and Sovereignty, or that there is a
Supreme God Who has under Him some minor gods to conduct the affairs of His Kingdom.
This proof is also based on the preceding verses in which it has been stated that the universe
has not been created as a pastime or a plaything, but for a serious purpose and that there has
always been a conflict between the Truth and falsehood, and falsehood has always been
defeated and destroyed.

1 9That is, the angels whom the mushriks of Arabia believed to be the children of God and
worshiped them as partners in Godhead.

20That is, "They are engaged in His service day and night without grumbling or ever feeling
wearied."

21This question has been posed to bring home to the disbelievers that when they themselves
believed that there is no being other than Allah who can give life to inanimate matter, why do
they then acknowledge other deities besides Allah?

22This concise sentence contains two arguments:

(1) The obviously simple argument is that no institution, no household, not to speak of the vast
universe containing multitudes of countless distant stars, can function smoothly and properly,
if it has two masters.

(2) The deeper argument is that the system of the whole universe, including that of the earth, is
functioning according to a universal law. It could not work so even for a moment, if there had
been no proper proportion, balance, harmony and coordination between the different powers
and countless things. This is a clear proof that there is a universal and all-powerful law and
system which binds and forces these powers and things to co-operate and coordinate between
themselves with a perfect proportion and harmony and this could not have happened if there
had been different independent rulers. The existence of such a system is itself a clear proof
that there must be One All-Powerful Manager and Administrator governing and ruling the whole
universe. For further details, please see E. N. 47 of Bani Isra'il (XVII).

23That is, "The Sovereign of the whole universe."

24The first two were rational arguments and this is a historical one. This means that the study of
all the former Scriptures shows that the Creator of the universe is One Allah and He alone is
worthy of service and worship, while "Your religion is neither supported by rational arguments
nor by historical evidence."

25 lt is their lack of the knowledge of the Reality which has created this indifference towards the
Message of the Prophet, and the same has made them heedless of the Message.

26"Offsprinq" here refers to the angels as is clear from v. 28. The disbelievers of Arabia believed
that the angels were the daughters of God.

27These two verses refute the two reasons for which the mushriks had made the angels their
deities:

(1 ) They took them for the offspring of Allah.

(2) They thought that if they worshiped the angels, they would be so pleased that they would
intercede with Allah on their behalf. (See X:18; XXXIX:3).

In this connection, it should also be noted that the Qur'an refutes the doctrine of intercession of
the mushriks, saying, that their so-called intercessors are not qualified to intercede for anyone.
This is so' because they have no knowledge of the hidden things, whereas Allah knows all that
is hidden from or open to them. Therefore, the angels or Prophets or saints shall be allowed
intercession only with the prior permission of Allah. As Allah alone has the power to hear or
accept intercession, none else is entitled to divine worship or rights. For further details, please
sec Ta Ha (XX): E. N.'s 85-86.

28From the wording of the Text, it appears that at first the whole universe was a single mass of
matter; then it was split into different parts and the earth and the other heavenly bodies were
formed. For fuller details, please see Ha Mim (XLI):E.N.'s 13-15

29From the wording of the T ext, it appears that Allah made water the cause and origin of life. See
also An-Nur (XXIV): 45.

30For explanation, see E. N. 12 of An-Nahl (XVI).

31_"Open paths" are the passes between high mountains and the valleys and ravines made by the
rivers in the mountainous regions and other natural ways that connect different regions on the
earth.

32This is a very meaningful sentence. It may mean that the people may find paths for traveling
on the earth, and it may also mean that the wisdom that underlies the skill and the system of
their creation may guide them to the Reality.

33For explanation, see Al-Hijr (XV): E. N's 8 and 10-12.

34That is, "Those signs which are in the sky"

35The use of the words kullun (all) and yasbahun (float) in the plural (for more than two) indicates
that not only the sun and the moon but all the heavenly bodies are floating in their own separate
orbits and none of them is fixed or stationary. These verses (30-33) are capable of being
interpreted in the modern scientific terms in accordance with the present day conceptions of
Physics, Biology and Astronomy.

Here it should also be noted that vv. 19-23 refute shirk while vv. 30-33 present positive proofs of
Tauhid. They imply that the creation and regular functioning of the universe clearly show that
it is the work of One All-Powerful Creator, and no sensible person can say that it has been
created as a there pastime for the sake of fun. When the fact is this and you see proofs of the
Doctrine of Tauhid all around yourself, in the earth and heavens, why do you reject the
Message of the Prophet and demand other Signs from him?”

36From here the same theme of the conflict between the Holy Prophet and the disbelievers, that
was interrupted by vv. 19-33, has been resumed.

37This is a brief answer to all those warnings and curses with which the Holy Prophet was being
threatened and the conspiracies which the Quraish were hatching against him day and night.
On the one hand, the women of the Quraish cursed him because according to them he had
ruined their home life by enticing away their kith and kits; while on the other, the chiefs of the
Quraish threatened hits with horrible consequences for the propagation of Islam. After the
emigration to Habash especially, which almost affected every home of Makkah, these curses
and threats increased all the more. This verse is meant to comfort and console the Holy
Prophet as well so that he should continue his mission without any fear of their threats.

38That is, Allah is always putting human beings to test and trial both through adversity and
affluence. This is to judge whether prosperity makes them proud, cruel and slaves of their lusts
or they become grateful to Allah. On the other hand, He inflicts adversity upon them in order
to see whether they remain within the prescribed and lawful limits or become low-spirited and

down-hearted. A sensible person therefore should not be deluded by prosperity and adversity,
but should keep their trial element in view and try to pass through it gracefully.

39 lt should be noted that this sentence contains only the reason why they scoffed at him, but
does not refer to the expression of "scoff" itself. Obviously, the disbelievers must have been
using some other words or expressions of derision to avenge themselves on the Holy Prophet
for his rejecting their self-made deities.

40This is to rebuke the disbelieves, as if to say, "You cherish so much love of your self-made
idols and false gods that you cannot tolerate anything against them; so much so that you scoff
at the Messenger of Allah, but, as for you, you are not ashamed that you are stung to the quick
when you hear the name of the Merciful and discard His mention with disdain."

41 This is not the literal translation of the Text; its purport according to the Arabic usage is: "Man
is a hasty and impatient creature by his very nature." The same thing has been stated in
XVII:1 1 : "Man is very hasty and impatient."

42From the succeeding sentences it is obvious that "Signs" here stands for the things that have
been mentioned therein-the "threat" of the scourge of Allah, Resurrection and Hell. They made
fun of these, as if to say: "This man threatens us with the scourge of Allah and the torment of
the Day of Resurrection if we deny him and that we shall become fuel of Hell; but nothing of
the sort has befallen us. We are as strong as ever and nothing seems to be happening".

43That is to say, "Who is there to protect and save you from the scourge of Allah if you are
suddenly visited by it any time during the night or day?"

44ln other words it means: "These people have been deluded by Our favor and Our provisions.
They think they are enjoying prosperity and good life as their personal right and there is none
to take it away from them. They have forgotten that there is God above them Who is able to
make or mar their fortune".

45ln this connection, see Ar-Ra'd (XIII): 41 and E. N. 60 thereof. Here it bears an additional
meaning also: "Do they not see that an All-Powerful Being is showing His Signs every now and
then everywhere on the earth in the form of famines, epidemics, floods, earthquakes and other
calamities; millions of people are killed, habitations and harvests are destroyed and other
damages are caused, which frustrate all human designs?"

46 lt means: "When they know that all the resources and provisions of life are in Our hands and
that We can increase or decrease them as We will, have they the power and strength to defend
themselves against Our punishment? Can they not see from these "Signs" that their power,
prosperity and luxury are not everlasting and that there is an All-Powerful Allah to seize and
punish them?"

47That is, "The same scourge which they are demanding to be hastened and of which they are
making fun."

48See also vv. 8-9 and E.N.'s 8-9 of Al-A'araf (VII). It is difficult for us to understand the exact
nature of the "Balance". Anyhow it is clear that the "Balance" will weigh accurately all the
human moral deeds instead of material things, and will help judge whether a man is virtuous
or wicked and how much. The Qur'an has used this word to make mankind understand that
every deed, good or bad, will be weighed and judged according to merit.

49From here begin the stories of the Prophets. If we consider these stories in the context in which
they occur, it becomes plain that these have been related to impress the following themes:

(1) All the former Prophets were human beings: therefore there is nothing strange or unusual that
a human being like Muhammad has been sent as a Messenger (Allah's peace be upon him).

(2) The Mission and teachings of this Prophet are the same as of those who were sent before
him.

(3) All the Prophets had been granted a privileged position by Allah, Who blessed them with
special favors. For instance, though they were made to suffer from hardships and persecutions
for years, ultimately Allah heard their prayers and helped them in miraculous ways against
their enemies and persecutors.

(4) In spite of Allah's special favors on them they were no more than His humble servants and
human beings and had no share whatever in Godhead; so much so that sometimes they
committed errors of judgment, fell ill, were put to trials and even committed faults, for which
they were called to account by Allah.

50AII the three words have been used in praise of the Torah: (1) A Criterion which distinguished
the Truth from falsehood. (2) A Light which showed the Right Way of life, and (3) An
Admonition, which reminded the erring descendants of Adam to remember the lesson they had
forgotten.

51Though it was sent for the good of all human beings, only the pious people, having these
characteristics, could benefit from it.

52The Hour of "Resurrection".

53The Arabic word (rushd) is very comprehensive and means righteousness as well.

"We had blessed Abraham with discretion;" "The discretion he showed in discriminating between
the right and the wrong etc. was not of his own acquirement but had been bestowed on him by
Us." Al-Anbiyaa'

"We knew him well": "We knew that he was worthy of Prophethood; therefore We appointed him
as such". According to Vl:1 24: " .... Allah knows best whom to entrust with His Mission ...."It
contains a subtle answer to the objection raised by the chiefs of the Quraish: "Why has Allah
appointed this man (the Holy Prophet) to the office of Prophethood, when he is in no way
superior to us?" This objection has been answered, as if to say, "The same objection might

even have been raised against Prophet Abraham by his people, but We knew his capabilities.
Therefore We selected him for Prophethood."

In this connection, please also see II: 124141 , 258 - 260 ; VI: 74 - 84 ; IX: 114 ; XI: 69 - 76 ; XIV: 35 - 41 ;
XV: 51-58 and XVI: 120-122 and the E.N's thereof.

54Before proceeding further it should be kept in mind that the incident from the history of Prophet
Abraham has been cited here to refute the erroneous creeds of the Quraish. This was meant
to hit them hard for they were the descendants of Prophet Abraham and were proud of their
relationship with him. It was he who had built the Ka'abah which had become the center of the
whole of Arabia and they, being its keepers, were its most important clan. Therefore, they could
not remain indifferent to this answer.

55The literal translation will be: "Are you presenting the Truth before us, or just playing with us?"
They were so sure of the truth of their creed that they could never imagine that anyone could
be serious in declaring it to be false.

56That is, "If you do not understand this by argument, I will present a practical proof that these
idols are helpless and have no powers. Therefore, it is wrong to make them your deities."

57This was that practical proof. In the absence of the priests and attendants, Prophet Abraham
entered their central Temple and broke all the idols to pieces.

58The pronoun in the original Text may be translated into "it" or "him". In the former case, it will
refer to the chief idol and in the latter to Prophet Abraham. In the first case, it will imply a subtle
sarcasm in order to make them realize that their creed of idol-worship was foolish, for obviously
the chief idol could not break the minor idols. In the second case, it will refer to Prophet
Abraham, who thought that they might turn to him about the "incident" and he might get an
opportunity to have a frank talk with them about their absurd creed.

59This was exactly what Prophet Abraham expected to happen. He wished that the matter should
not remain confined to the priests and the attendants but the common people also should be
present there to witness that their deities were helpless and their priests were deluding them
about their powers. The priests committed the same folly as was later committed by Pharaoh
when he arranged an encounter between Prophet Moses and the magicians in the open in
front of the multitudes of the common people, and the former got an opportunity to show
publicly the miracle of the staff which shattered the illusory, magical tricks of the magicians.

60The very sentence, "You may ask them, if they can speak", is a clear proof that it was not a lie
when Prophet Abraham said, "All this has been done by their chief." What he intended by this
was to make them realize and confess that their idols were helpless because they could do
nothing to protect themselves, and could not even speak. It is clear that when a person poses
an unreal question for the sake of argument in order to bring home the fact that the position
taken by the other party is untenable, it cannot be considered as a lie; firstly, because the
speaker himself never intended it to be a lie, and secondly, because the addressees also knew
that it was not a lie.

The foregoing remarks have been necessitated because of a "tradition" that Prophet Abraham
told three "lies" in his life, of which one is the above mentioned event. The second "lie" is
contained in XXXVII: 89: "I am indisposed", and the third "lie" is not contained in the Qur'an
but in the Bible that he declared his wife to be his sister. (Gen. 12:12,13, 1 8;1 9). It is a pity that
this "tradition" has given rise to two divergent opinions. The orthodox traditionalists actually
believe that Prophet Abraham told these lies just because an "authentic tradition" says so.
They do not consider that it is far better to discard the "tradition" according to which a Prophet
is accused of being a "liar". On the other hand, those who are against the Traditions, discard
all of them just because this solitary tradition, which has been reported as authentic by Bukhari
and Muslim, is unreliable on the very face of it. Obviously it needs no elaborate arguments to
prove that all the traditions cannot be discarded just because one or a few of them are
unreliable. As regards the upholders of the first opinion, they have gone to the other extreme
and think that a tradition can be discarded in spite of the authenticity of its reporters for cogent
reasons. They do this without reference to the contents of the tradition itself. But if the text of
the tradition itself clearly shows that such a thing could not have been said by the Holy Prophet,
there is no reason to insist that it should be accepted as authentic merely because its reporters
are authentic.

This, tradition is unreliable for other reasons also. As has already been shown, the first "lie" is no
lie at all. As regards the second "lie", ("I am indisposed"); it cannot be considered as a lie
unless it is proved beyond doubt that Prophet Abraham was perfectly healthy at that time, and
the text does not testify this. As regards the third "lie", the event stated in the Bible in chapter
12 of Genesis is absurd on the face of it. When Prophet Abraham went to Egypt with his wife
Sarah, he was, according to the Bible itself, 75 years old and his wife was 65. Therefore the
very age of Sarah is a clear proof that she could not be a "fair woman to look upon" to force
Prophet Abraham to pose that she was his sister in order to save his life. The tradition under
discussion, which accuses Prophet Abraham to be guilty of telling a lie, has accordingly no
basis at all and cannot be taken as reliable in spite of its authentic reporters.

61 Literally the original Text means: "They were turned down upon their heads." Some
commentators have interpreted it to mean: "They hung down their heads with shame". But this
does not fit in the context and the wording of the Text. The right interpretation would be: "When
they considered the answer of Prophet Abraham, they realized that they themselves were in
the wrong, because they had set up helpless idols as deities, which could not even speak a
word as to who had broken them. But soon after this, they were overpowered by obduracy and
ignorance which perverted their minds and they again relapsed into crookedness."

62Though this is one of those miracles which have been clearly stated in the Qur'an, there are
people who try to "prove" that there was no such miracle at all. According to this passage (vv.
68-70), Prophet Abraham was actually threatened to be burnt alive and he was accordingly
thrown into the burning fire; but Allah ordered the fire to become cool and harmless for him. In
the face of the clear words of the Qur'an, these people deny this miracle because according to
them it is impossible even for Allah to go beyond the routine of the physical laws. They say
that miracles cannot appeal to the rationalists of the modern age, and therefore these should
be interpreted in accordance with physical laws. They forget that according to the Qur'an, Allah
is able to do everything, and He does extraordinary and unusual things which cannot be
explained by "science". Therefore they should accept the Qur'an as it is or discard it, but they
should not twist it to suit their so-called rationalism.

63According to the Bible, Prophet Abraham had two brothers, Nahor and Haran; Prophet Lot was
the son of Haran (Gen. 1 1 :26), and he was the only person to believe in Prophet Abraham.
(XXIX: 26).

64The "blessed land" refers to Syria and Palestine, which contains both material and spiritual
blessings. It is one of the most fertile regions in the world; moreover, it was blessed for two
thousand years with more Prophets than any other region of the world.

65That is, "We made his son a Prophet and his grandson too".

66This important event of the life of Prophet Abraham has found no mention whatever in the Bible.
In fact nothing about his life in 'Iraq -his conflict with Nimrod, his father and the community at
large, his efforts to eradicate idolatry, the incident of his being cast into the fire, which ultimately
led to his forced exile from the country-is mentioned anywhere in the Bible. The Bible merely
mentions his migration, and that too, in a manner as if a family was migrating from one country
to another in search of livelihood. There is another interesting difference between the Qur'an
and the Bible. According to the Qur'an, the father of Abraham, who was a mushrik, was
foremost in tyrannizing over his son, but the Bible gives a different account, which is as follows:

"Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran
begat Lot. And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the
Chaldees. And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and
the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of
Iscah. But Sarai was barren; she had no child. And Terah took Abram 'his son, and Lot the son
of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went
forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto
Haran, and settled there. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah
died in Haran." (Gen. 11:27-32).

"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from
thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and
I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And 1 will bless them
that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed." (Gen. 12: 1-3).

The Talmud, however, gives quite a few details about the life of Prophet Abraham about the period
of his stay in 'Iraq, which are generally the same as given in the Qur'an, but there is a glaring
discrepancy in some of the important events. In fact, one can clearly feel that the account given
in the Talmud is full of heterogeneous and hypothetical things while the one given in the Qur'an
is most clear and contains nothing unworthy of Prophet Abraham. We reproduce below the
account as given in the Talmud so that the reader may know the difference between the
Quranic and Jewish versions. This will also remove the misunderstanding of those who think
that the Qur'an has borrowed stories from the Bible or Jewish literature.

According to the Talmud, "The wise men saw a large star in the sky on the night Abram was born
and they advised Nimrod to kill the child born in the house of Terah. The King decided to kill
the child but Terah hid his child and had a servant's son killed in exchange. Terah thereupon
hid his wife and child in a cave where they lived for ten years. In the 1 1th year Abram was

taken by Terah to Noah, where he lived under the guidance of Noah and his son Shem for 39
years. During the same period Abram married his niece Sarai, who was 42 years his junior.
(The Bible does not mention that Sarai was the niece of Abram; moreover, the difference in
their ages is mentioned as ten years). (Gen. 1 1 : 29, 17: 1 7).

The Talmud then says, "Abram left Noah at the age of 50 and came back to his father. Here he
found that his father was an idolatry and had twelve idols in the house according to the twelve
months of the year. He tried to preach to his father against idolatry but when the latter did not
listen to him, Abram one day broke all the idols in the house. Seeing this Terah went straight
to Nimrod and complained that the son who was born in his house 50 years ago had
misbehaved and broken the idols. He wanted the King's verdict on this. Nimrod sununoned
Abram for interrogation, but the replies given by Abram were straight, terse and clear. Nimrod
sent him to jail and then referred the matter to the Council for a decision. The Council decided
that Abram should be burnt to death. A fire was accordingly prepared and Abram was cast into
it. His brother and father-in-law Haran was also similarly cast into the fire. Haran was punished
because Nimrod enquired of Terah as to why he had another child killed in place of Abram
when he wanted to kill Abram on the day of his birth. Terah replied that this was done at the
instigation of Haran. Nimrod accordingly let off Terah but threw Haran into the fire along with
Abram. Haran was burnt to death instantly but people saw that Abram was walking unhurt
through the flames. When Nimrod was informed of it, he witnessed it with his own eyes and
cried out: 'O man of the God of Heaven, come out of the fire and stand before me’. Thereupon,
Abram came out and Nimrod became one of his .believers and gave him many costly presents.
After this, according to the Talmud, Abram stayed in 'Iraq for two more years when Nimrod
saw a dreadful dream and the astrologers told him that the destruction of his empire .would
come through Abram and that he should, therefore, put him to death. Nimrod sent people to
kill Abram but Abram came to know of the plot before-hand through Eleazar, a slave presented
to him by Nimrod himself. Abram accordingly fled and took refuge with Noah where Terah also
met him off and on secretly. The father and the son at last decided to leave the country and
Noah and his son Shem also approved of their plan. Accordingly, Terah along with his son
Abram and his grandson Lot and his grand-daughter and son’s wife Sarai, left U: and went to
Haran." (H. Polano: The Talmud Selections, London, pp. 30-42).

Can a reasonable person after reading this account of the Talmud ever imagine that this could be
a source book for the story as given in the Qur'an?

67The original Arabic word hukm is very comprehensive. It means judgment, wisdom and
discretion, and authority from Allah. 'Ilm stands for the revealed knowledge of the Truth. Thus,
"We bestowed hukm and 'ilm on Lot": "We appointed Lot as a Prophet". (For the story of Lot,
see VII: 80-84; XI: 7083; XV: 57-74 and the E.N.'s there of).

68This refers to Prophet Noah's prayer which he at last made after having tried his utmost to
reform his people: "Lord, help me for I have been overpowered". (LIV: 10), and "Lord, do not
leave even a single disbeliever on the earth." (LXXIX 26).

69"Great calamity" may either refer to living a miserable life among the wicked people, or to the
Flood. (For the story of Prophet Noah, see VII: 59-64; X: 72-74; XI : 25-48, and XVII: 3 and the
E.N.'s thereof).

70There is no mention of this event in the Bible nor in the Jewish literature. According to the
Muslim commentators, it happened like this: The goats of one person entered into the field of
another person at night. The latter brought his complaint to Prophet David who decided that
the strayed goats should be given to the owner of the field. Prophet Solomon, however, differed
with this and opined that the goats should remain with the owner of the field up to the time that
the former tilled and prepared the field as before. In regard to this Allah says, "We led Solomon
to the right decision". As regards the legal aspect of the matter we cannot say with certainty
what is the Islamic law in such a case nor is there any Tradition of the Holy Prophet to explain
or support it. That is why the jurists have differed about it.

It should, however, be noted that in this context, the incident has been cited to show that the
Prophets were after all human beings in spite of their God given powers and abilities. In this
case, Prophet David committed an error of judgment because he was not guided by Allah as
was Prophet Solomon, though both of them were Prophets. In the succeeding passage the
wonderful powers of both have been mentioned to show that they were God-given and did not
snake anyone a god.

Incidentally, we learn froth this verse that if two judges give different decisions about one and the
same case, both of them will be regarded as righteous, though the decision of only one of them
will be correct, provided that both are duly qualified for sitting in judgment on the case. The
Holy Prophet has stated the same principle more elaborately. In a Tradition of Bukhari, he is
reported by 'Amar bin 'As to have said, "If a judge does his very best to arrive at the right
decision, he will get a double reward in case of a right judgment and a single reward if his
judgment is wrong." According to another Tradition, cited by Abu Da'ud and Ibn Majah, on the
authority of Buraidah, he is reported to have said, "Judges are of three kinds and only one of
them will go to Paradise: the one who recognizes the Truth and decides according to it. On the
other hand, the one who recognizes the Truth but gives his decision against it, will go to Hell,
and he too, who sits in judgment on a case without the necessary knowledge (and
competence). "

71 From the wording of the Text, it is clear that "the mountains and the birds" were not subjected
to Prophet David but were joined with him in glorifying Allah. This is also supported by
XXXVIII:I9: "We had subdued the mountains by Our Command so that they praised Us with
him (David) in the morning and evening, and the birds too, which gathered together and
repeated Our praise with him". And, according to XXXIV: 10: "We commanded the mountains
to repeat Our praise with him and also the birds to do the same. " We are of the opinion that it
means this: "When Prophet David sang hymns of Allah's praise and glory, in his rich and sweet
voice, the mountains echoed back his melodies and the birds gathered round him and the
whole scene became charming." Our interpretation is supported by this Tradition:

"Once when Hadrat Abu Musa Ash'ari, who had an extremely sweet voice, was reciting the Holy
Qur'an, the Holy Prophet, who was passing by, stood and listened to him for a long time. When
he finished the recital, the Holy Prophet remarked: 'This man has been granted a portion of
the melody of David'."

72According to XXXIV: 10-11, it was like this: "....And We made the iron soft for him (and
commanded him): 'Make coats of mail complete in every way, and arrange the plates
properly...."’. This shows that Allah had made Prophet David an expert in the use of iron, and

had especially taught him the art of an armorer for defense purposes. This fact is confirmed by
archaeological and historical researches, for according to these the iron-age in the world
started between 1200 and 1000 BC and this was precisely the period of Prophet David. At tirst
the Hittites in Syria and Asia Minor, who flourished between 2000 and 1200 BC, discovered a
method of melting and molding iron, but they guarded it as a close secret from the world, and
it could not be put to common use. Later on, the Philistines came to know of it, but they too
guarded it as a secret. The incessant defeats suffered by the Israelites at the hands of the
Hittites and the Philistines before King Saul, were due mainly to the use of chariots of iron in
their wars by the latter. (Joshua, 1 7:1 6; Judges, 1:19,4: 2-3). In 1 020 BC when Saul became
ruler over the Israelites by Allah's Command, he subdued the Canaanites and recaptured most
of Palestine. After him Prophet David (1004-965 BC) not only annexed the whole of Palestine
and Jordan to the Israeli kingdom but a major portion of Syria as well. This was the time when
the secret of armor making closely guarded by the Hittites and the Philistines, became well
known and cheaper articles of daily use began to be made. The recent archaeological
excavations conducted in Edom, to the south of Palestine, which is rich in iron ore, have
brought to light furnaces for melting and molding iron. The furnace excavated near Ezion-
geber, a port on the Gulf of 'Aqabah, in the time of Prophet Solomon, seems to have been
built on the principles which are used in the modern blast furnaces. It is therefore natural that
Prophet David must have first of all utilized this discovery for war purposes, because a little
earlier the hostile Canaanites around his kingdom had made life really difficult for his people.
The Bible also says that Prophet David was an expert in the art of melting and using iron for
war purposes. (See Joshua, 17: 16; Judges, 1 :1 9 and 4: 2-3).

73For further details about Prophet David, please see 11:251 and XVII: 55 and the E.N.’s thereof.

74This is also explained in XXXIV: 12: "And for Solomon We had subjected the wind which
covered a month's journey in the morning and a month's journey in the evening", and in
XXXVIII: 36: "So We subjected the wind to him. It blew softly at his bidding whither-soever he
wanted it to blow." Thus it is clear that the wind was so subjected to Prophet Solomon that the
voyages to places at one month's sea journey could be performed conveniently, because a
favorable wind was always blowing for his ships to and from those places.

It is confirmed by the Bible that Prophet Solomon had developed sea trade on a large scale. ( I
Kings, 1 0: 22). On the one side, his trade ships sailed from Ezion-geber, through the Red Sea,
towards Yaman and other southern and eastern lands, and on the other, his naval fleet called
Thar-shish, sailed on the Mediterranean to the western countries. The great furnace which he
had built at Ezion-geber for melting and molding ores extracted from the copper and iron mines
in the 'Arabah in Edom, has been confirmed by modem archaeological researches as well.
This molten iron and copper was used in building ships besides being put to other uses. The
Qur'an refers to this when it says: "....and We made a fountain of molten copper to flow for him
(Solomon)...." (XXXIV:12).

As , regards the subjection of the wind, it may mean that Allah, by His special favor, had so
arranged that the wind-and sea voyages in those days depended entirely on wind-was always
favorable for Prophet Solomon's fleet. But if we take the literal meaning of v. 81 : "it sped at his
bidding", there will be no harm, for Allah is able to give such powers to any of His servants He
pleases.

75The subjection of "satans" has been explained in XXXIV:12-13. Incidentally, these verses of
the Qur'an clearly show that the satans and jinns who worked for Prophet Solomon belonged
to quite a different genus from human beings. Therefore, it is wrong to pervert the Qur'an to
prove that "they were human beings" as some modernist commentators have tried to do. It is
obvious from the wording of the Qur'an and the context in which the story of the jinns has been
related, that they were not human beings. Had they been so this would have been no special
favor to Solomon, because human beings had already built the gigantic monuments like the
pyramids of Egypt.

76There is a wide divergence of opinion concerning the personality, period and nationality of
Prophet Job. Some commentators opine that he was an Israelite, while others think that he
was an Egyptian or an Arab who lived before Prophet Moses, or during the time of Prophets
David and Solomon. As all these conjectures are based on the Book of Job, which is self-
contradictory and against the Qur'an, nothing can be said about him with certainty, but in the
light of the Book of Isaiah (8th century BC) and the Book of Ezekiel (6th century BC), which
are more trustworthy works, he lived in the 9th century BC or even earlier. As regards his
nationality, the context in which his name occurs in IV: 163 and VI: 84, it may be assumed that
he was an Israelite. According to a saying of Hadrat Wahb bin Munabbih, he might have been
from the offspring of Esau, a son of Prophet Isaac.

77The words of the prayer are note-worthy. Prophet Job mentions his distress but does not say
anything more to his Lord except: "Thou art most Merciful" This is a great proof of his fortitude,
noble and contented nature.

78How his disease was cured has been explained in XXXVIII: 42: "Stamp the ground with your
foot: here is cool water for you to wash with and to drink." From this it appears that no sooner
did he stamp the ground than a spring gushed forth. He took bath and drank the water and
was cured of his disease. The nature of the treatment hints that he was suffering from a skin
disease. This is confirmed by the Bible as well. "Satan smote Job with sore boils from the sole
of his foot unto his crown. "- (Job, 2:7).

79 lt will be worth-while to compare the high character of Prophet Job as given in the Qur'an with
that in the Book of Job in the Bible. The Qur'an presents him as a veritable picture of patience
and fortitude and an-excellent model for the worshippers of Allah, but his general picture
presented in the Book of Job is that of a man who is full of grievance against God: "Let the day
perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived

.... Let them curse (the night) that curse the day, Because it shut not the doors of my

mother's womb, nor did sorrow from mine eyes. Why died I not from the womb? A (Chapter

3) "Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balance

together the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit:

the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me." (Chapter 6).... "I have sinned; what
shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? Why hast thou set me as a mark against thee,
so that I am a burden to myself? And why dost thou not pardon my transgressions, and take
away my iniquity? (Chapter 7: 20-21).

His three friends try to console him and counsel patience, but in vain. He says, "My soul is weary
of my life. ...I will speak in the bitterness of my soul" (10:1).... "I have heard many such things:
miserable comforters are ye all." (16: .... "So these three men ceased to answer Job Then

was kindled the wrath of Elihu against Job.... because he justified himself rather than God."

(32:1-3), but he also failed to console him. ...Then the Lord himself came down and condemned
the three friends and Elihu and rebuked Job and then forgave him, accepted him and blessed
him." (Chapters 41 , 42). It should be noted that in the first two chapters of this Book, Prophet
Job is presented as a perfect and upright man who feared God, but in the following chapters
he becomes an embodiment of grievance against God, as though the estimate of Satan about
him was correct and that of God incorrect. Thus this Book itself is a clear evidence that it is
neither the Word of God nor of Prophet lob but had been written afterwards by some literary
man and incorporated in the Bible as a scripture.

80For explanation, see Surah Maryam (XIX): E. N. 33.

81Zul-Kifl is not the name but the title of a righteous man, which literally means 'a man of luck'.
Here it does not refer to worldly prosperity but to his high character and ranks in the Hereafter.
He has also been mentioned by this title in XXXVIII: 48. There are different opinions about his
identity and nationality: some have regarded him as Zacharias (but this is not correct because
Zacharias has been mentioned separately in v. 89); others say he was Elias, or Joshua, son
of Nun, or Elisha, but this again is incorrect, because in Surah Sad (XXXVIII: ’49) Elisha and
Zul-Kifl have been mentioned as separate personalities; some others say that he was Prophet
Job's son, named Bishr, who succeeded him as Prophet.

Allamah Alusi says, "The Jews claim that he was Ezekiel who was appointed to Prophethood
during the captivity (597 BC) of the Israelites and he performed his mission in a habitation by
the side of the Chebar canal."

These conflicting opinions indeed confirm nothing. The modern commentators, however, are
inclined to believe that he was Ezekiel, though there is no convincing argument about it. This
opinion is sound because his description in this verse "that he was a patient and righteous man
and was blessed by God" is fully confirmed by the Book of Ezekiel. He was one of those people
who had been taken prisoner by Nebuchadnezzer at the downfall of Jerusalem, who settled
the Israeli exiles at Tel-abib by the river Chebar in Iraq. Here, in 594 BC, Ezekiel was raised
to Prophethood when he was hardly 30, and he continued preaching the message of God to
the exiled Israelites as well as to the iniquitous people and rulers of Jerusalem for full 22 years.
In the 9th year of his mission, his wife whom he called "the desire of his eyes" died, but when
the people came to mourn her death, he warned them of the wrath of God and the impending
disaster. (Chapter 24: 15-21). The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel in the Bible is one of those
scriptures which appear to be genuine and divinely' inspired.

82That is, Jonah. Literally Zun-Nun means “the man of the fish." He was called so because he
was devoured by a fish by the Command of Allah. (Also See XXXV1 1 :142 and X:98 and its
E.N.'s 98-100).

83Prophet Jonah left his people before he received Allah's Command for migration.

84He presumed that he should leave, the place which was going to be visited by the scourge of
Allah. This was not by itself an offence but it was an offence for a Prophet to leave the place
of his Mission without the permission of Allah.

85". ...darkness": the darkness in the belly of the fish and the darkness of the sea over and above
it."

86"Made his wife fit": "We cured his wife of sterility." As "Thou alone art the best Inheritor", I shall
have no grief even if Thou dost not give the any child. (For further details, please see 111:37-41
and XIX: 2-14 and the E.N.'s thereof).

87lt will be worth while to reiterate the reasons why the stories of the Prophets have been cited
in this surah.

(1) The story of Prophet Zacharias has been cited to impress on the minds that all the Prophets
were human beings and servants of Allah and had no tinge of Godhead in them. They had no
power to bestow children upon others because they themselves had to pray to Allah for
children for themselves.

(2) The story of Prophet Jonah has been cited to show that even a great Prophet like him did not
go unnoticed when he committed an error in regard to Allah's Message. But when he repented,
Allah, by His grace, delivered him alive from the belly of the fish.

(3) The mention of Prophet Job has been made to show that even Prophets were put to hard trials
and afflictions and even they had to beg Allah to restore them to health, not to speak of curing
others of diseases.

Along with these, the other important thing which is meant to be impressed is that all the Prophets
believed in the doctrine of Tauhid. That is why they begged and prayed to One Allah alone to
fulfill their needs and requirements. Though they met with trials, Allah helped them and granted
their prayers in supernatural and miraculous ways.

88That is, "Mary (Allah's peace be upon her)".

89 lt should be noted that the incident of the birth of Prophet Jesus was not different from that of
Prophet Adam, because the wording of the Arabic Text in the two cases is almost identical:
(See XXXVIII: 71-72). Besides this in verse 91 , almost similar words have beets used in regard
to the birth of Jesus Christ. (See also IV: 171 and LXVI:12). Allah Himself has stated that the
birth of Prophet Jesus was just like the birth of Prophet Adam: "In the sight of Allah, the case
of the birth of Jesus is like that of Adam, whom He created out of dust and said, 'Be', and he
was." (Ill: 59). In the light of these verses, we may conclude that Allah uses words like: "We
breathed into him or her of Our spirit" for miraculous births. (For fuller details please see IV:
E.N's 212-213).

90That is, "The mother and the son were not partners of God nor had any share whatever in
Godhead, but were a Sign from among the Signs of God." (See XIX: E.N. 21 also).

91 In this verse, the addressees are the whole of mankind. It means: "O mankind, in reality all of
you belonged to one community and had one and the same religion and all the Prophets
brought one and the same Creed which was this: 'Allah alone is the Lord of all mankind:
therefore they should worship Him alone. But afterwards the people corrupted this Creed

and invented and adopted the things they liked and mixed their own theories, whims and
practices in it. This brought into being countless communities and religions. Thus it is
absolutely wrong to say that a particular Prophet was the founder of a particular religion and
another of another, and so on. The very fact that different religions came into being at different
periods of tithe, does not prove that the Prophets created these differences. It is obvious that
the Prophets of God could not found different religions nor could they teach their followers to
worship any beings other than Allah.

92The Arabic Text of v. 95 may be interpreted in three ways:

(I) The community which is once destroyed by the scourge of Allah can never have a second or
new life.

(2) After its destruction, its people are not given a second chance for their test: then they shall be
presented in the Court of Allah for final judgment.

(3) When a community transgresses the last limits in its wickedness, injustices and disobedience,
and Allah ordains to destroy it, no other chance of repentance is given to it because it becomes
incapable of turning back to right guidance.

93For the details about Gog and Magog, see E.N.'s 62 and 69 of Surah A1 -Kahf (XVIII). They will
be let loose in the sense that they will swoop down on the regions of the earth like a beast of
prey which is set free from its cage suddenly. "The time of the fulfillment of the true promise"
will come on the eve of Resurrection and the appearance of Gog and Magog will be a sign of
it. In a Tradition related in Muslim, by Huzaifah bin Asid Ghifari, the Holy Prophet said,
"Resurrection will not take place until ten signs appear:

(1) The smoke. (2) Dajjal. (3) Daabat-ul-Ard. (4) rising of the sun from the west. (5) coming down
of Jesus, son of Mary. (6) sudden attack of Gog and Magog. (7-9) three land slides-one in the
east, the second in the west and the third in Arabia. (1 0) the flare up of a great fire from Yaman
which will drive the people to the Plain of Resurrection. In another Tradition the Holy Prophet
stated that after the swoop of Gog and Magog, Resurrection will, be so near that it may take
place at any moment just as a pregnant woman might deliver the child at any moment, in the
day or night, after her term has expired. But the reference to the appearance of Gog and Magog
in the Qur'an and Hadith does not indicate that they will swoop on mankind jointly; it may be
that they will clash against each other near the time of Resurrection and their mutual conflict
might result in a universal catastrophe and destruction.

94"We were heedless of this" contains a kind of excuse in it, as if to say, "The Prophets warned
us of the Day of Resurrection but we were wrongdoers and paid no heed to their warning".

95We learn from traditions that 'Abdullah bin Azza’ara raised an objection in this connection,
saying, "According to this not only our deities but Prophets Jesus and 'Uzair and the Angels
also will become fuel for Hell because they are also worshiped." The Holy Prophet replied,
"Yes, everyone who would approve of his own worship instead of Allah's will go to Hell along
with those who worshiped him." He meant to say, "There is no reason why Prophets Jesus
and 'Uzair and the Angels should go to Hell because they never approved that they should be
worshiped instead of Allah, and were not responsible for this, on the other hand, they taught

people to worship Allah alone". Of course, those who tried to become deities and became
partners in the shirk of others will certainly go to Hell along with their worshipers. Likewise
those, who induced others to take deities other than Allah, will go to Hell. Satan comes under
this category for he induces others to make deities. Thus it is Satan who is made the real deity
whom they obey and commit shirk Besides this, idols of stone and wood and other accessories
of shirk will also be thrown into Hell along with the mushriks so that the latter should see that
their deities were becoming a cause of the intensity of their torture of fire instead of becoming
their intercessors.

96The Arabic word (zafir) means 'hard breathing’ because of excessive heat, hard work and
weariness.

97These will be the people who practiced virtue and righteousness in this world. Allah has already
promised that they will be kept safe from the torture and will be granted salvation.

98That is, "The time of mustering and going before Allah will be very dreadful for the common
people but the righteous people will have full peace of mind because everything will be
happening according to their expectations. Their faith and the righteous deeds they did in the
world, will help console them by the grace of Allah and, instead of grief and sorrow, they will
be filled with the hope that they are going to get their promised rewards."

99The interpretation of this verse has given rise to a great misunderstanding. Some people have
tried to interpret it in a way, which is entirely opposed to the ideology of the Qur'an. They
interpret it to mean: "The inheritance of the kingdom and the resources of the earth are given
to the righteous people alone in this worldly life, and upon them alone Allah showers His
favours and blessings." Then they apply this formula conversely and conclude that the gift of
this inheritance of the earth is the sole criterion between the "righteous" and the "unrighteous"
men. The righteous is the one who inherits the sovereignty of the earth and the unrighteous
the one who is deprived of this inheritance. But when they apply their formula in the historical
perspective, they find that most of those nations which have inherited the earth in the past and
are inheriting it today, have been and are mostly disbelieving, mushriks, atheists and immoral,
and that these are not the characteristics of the righteous people when judged by the criterion
put forward by the Qur'an. From Nimrod and Pharaoh to the present day communist despots,
who have been inheriting the earth, were and are unbelievers and the enemies of God and
therefore could not be considered righteous, according to the Quranic formula. Faced with this
situation, they start arguing that there must be some error in the conception of the "righteous"
which should be such as would fit all the inheritors of the earth whether they were Caliphs like
Abu Bakr Siddiq and 'Umar Faruq or Chingez and Halaku. This research leads them to the
Darwinian theory of the survival of the fittest and they assume fitness to be a synonym of
"righteousness".

According to this new conception or definition of "righteousness", the proposition would plainly
mean: "Any person, or a group of persons, who is capable of conquering and subduing
countries by military force and has the ability to exploit the resources of the earth successfully
is a 'righteous servant of Allah’ and his achievement is a criterion and message of
righteousness and worship for other human beings to follow. Consequently, if they fail to
achieve the inheritance of the earth, they will neither be regarded among the righteous nor
among the servants of Allah". As a result of this interpretation of the verse, and this conception

of "righteousness" and "service", they were confronted with the interpretation of some basic
and fundamental articles of the Islamic Faith. For instance, according to the Qur'an, no deed,
howsoever good, could be regarded as righteous without belief in Allah, the Hereafter, the
Prophets and the Books. Moreover, the invitation of the Prophet to accept the moral and legal
systems of Islam would become meaningless. Then these people could not reconcile their
interpretation with the teachings of the Qur'an that obedience to the Holy Prophet and the
Commandments of Allah was absolutely essential for a righteous tnan and that the lack of this
would make a person a disbeliever and a transgressor who deserved the wrath of Allah. If they
had faced this problem boldly and honestly, they would have realized that their interpretation
was wrong, but instead of this, they very impudently changed the universally accepted
conception of Faith, Islam, Tauhid, Prophethood and the Hereafter in order to make these
basic articles of the Faith fit in with their interpretation of this verse. Thus, they turned all the
teachings of the Qur'an upside down and tampered with its meaning without the least
hesitation. Now let us consider their interpretation and point out its errors:

(1) Their interpretation contradicts the teachings of the Qur'an as a whole, for according to these
virtue, piety and goodness do not comprise material progress and ability to rule over the land.
Moreover, if the Quranic word "Salih" (virtuous, good) is regarded as synonymous with "Sahib
Salahiyyat" (i.e. possessor of fitness and competence), this one verse will clash with the whole
of the Qur'an.

(2) They isolate this verse from its context and ascribe to it whatever meaning they like; otherwise,
they would have seen that the "inheritance" referred to in the context is the promise to the
Believers which is to be fulfilled in the Hereafter, and thus has nothing to do with inheritance
in this world.

If this verse is interpreted in the context in which it occurs, it becomes very plain from the
preceding verses that this promise to the righteous people holds good for the life in the
Hereafter. This thing has been made more explicit in XXXIX: 73-74. According to this passage
(which is definitely about life in the Hereafter), when the pious people will enter into Paradise,
they will say: "God be praised, Who has fulfilled His promise and made us heirs to the land."

Now let us consider this matter in the light of the Psalms (whether the Book of Psalms in the Bible
is genuine or tampered with, because the real Psalms of Prophet David are nowhere available)
to which this verse refers. According to 37:9-29: "....evildoers shall be cut off: but those that
wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not
be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit
the ' earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.. ..and their inheritance
shall be for ever.. ..The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever." Thus the
Psalms also confirm word for word verse 105. It is obvious that "(They shall) dwell therein for
ever" refers to the life in the Hereafter.

As regards the inheritance of the earth in this worldly life, Allah gives it as a heritage to those of
His servants whom He pleases (VII :1 28), irrespective of whether they are believers or
disbelievers, righteous or wicked, not as a reward but for their trial. "....Your Lord will make you
rulers on the earth, and then He will see how you conduct yourselves." (Vll:1 29). The heritage
of the earth in this worldly life is neither permanent nor everlasting. It is merely bestowed as a
trial for different communities. On the other hand, the heritage of the "land" referred to in v. 1 05

is permanent and for ever and, according to the Qur'an, it will be bestowed on the basis of this
formula: "The land belongs to Allah and He will make only His righteous servants heirs to it not
for their test but as a permanent reward for the righteous attitude they adopted in this worldly
life."

IQOThis verse (107) can also be translated as: "We have sent you only as a blessing for the
people of the world". In both cases it will mean that the appointment of the Holy Prophet is
indeed a blessing and mercy of Allah to the whole world. This is because he aroused the
neglectful world froth its heedlessness and gave it the knowledge of the criterion between truth
and falsehood, and warned it very clearly of both the ways of salvation and. ruin. This fact has
been stated here 'to tell the disbelievers of Makkah that they were quite wrong in their estimate
of the Holy Prophet that he was an affliction and distress for them because they said, "This
man has sown seeds of discard among our clans and separated near relatives from each
other." They have been told here, "O foolish people, you are wrong to presume that he is an
affliction for you; but he is in reality a blessing and mercy of Allah for you."

101 That is, "I do not know the time and the form of the punishment of Allah for your rejection of
the Message. It tray come at any time in any shape."

102 This refers to their secret schemes, plots and their whispering campaign which have been
mentioned in v. 3. There, too, the Prophet had said, "My Lord has the knowledge of everything
that is said in the heavens or the earth for He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing", (v. 4). This was to
warn them that they would be taken to task for these things, too.

103 This was a "trial" because the delay in the "punishment" was deluding them into believing "All
the things put forward by the Prophet are false: had he been a true Prophet of Allah we would
have been punished long before this for our disbelief." They did not realize that the reason for
the delay was that Allah willed to give them respite for mending their ways.

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